A Civilized Beast
by Dalek Prime
Summary: Behind the suit, the well done hair and manners, Toffee was still a monster at heart.
A/N: I don't own Star vs. The Forces of Evil

* * *

"Another, please" the man-lizard asked the bartender in a almost emotionless tone

The old man nodded in understanding before pouring his reptilian customer another round of Mewmian ale. As much as Toffee despised the people of Mewni, he had to admit that they had a very fine taste in alcohol. This was his third glass of the beverage and he decided that this would be his last drink for the night. Normally, the lawyer would only indulge in two glasses and call it a night, but after regenerating nearly sixty percent of his body from an explosion he caused, he figured he deserved a third drink tonight.

The plan to destroy the wand went off without a hitch, just as he thought it would. The princess acted exactly as he knew he would and chose her friend over her prized possession; just as he predicted. Even the ensuing explosion from the now dead symbol of the Mewian's race was apart of his scheme—even though he was caught in the blast was at point blank range of it.

He had to admit that the regeneration of his limbs, organs and even a majority of his face was a painful process, but it was more than worth to see that blasted thing wither away and die right before his eyes. After literally pulling himself back together, Toffee snuck away to find clothing and food since his attire could now grow back like he could. The man-lizard was not accustomed to dressing in rags like his monster brethren were; he preferred to look more like a gentleman then a beast.

That was always his way; he had to prove to those wretched Mewians and to himself that he more than just some savage and stupid monster that blindly followed Ludo. Ever since he was young, Toffee craved to be respected among his peers. It was once his dream to be seen as not a beast, but a man. But those days were long gone now and the memories had turned sour in his mind. All he craved now was vengeance on those who had wrong him and his people.

After breaking into a tailor's workshop and stealing a fine suit that he fancied. Toffee quickly cleaned himself up in a secluded river before dressing himself in his new suit and heading out back into the world. He then made his way to a regular place he occasionally visited for his favorite drink. The place in question was a small tavern that stood on the farthest borders of the Kingdome of Mewni by the name of The Butchered Wolf were monsters, outlaws and cutthroats all gathered to share a pint of ale and be safe from the law. It was a place where the lawyer could enjoy a drink alone without any fear of being found.

But tonight was different. The man-lizard could feel a certain aura of uneasiness in the air around him. Normally the tavern was filled with shouting, laughter and stories of the crimes the monsters and Mewian crooks had committed, but tonight there was hardly a sound from the any of the bar's patrons; only the sound of the occasional grumbling of words among groups and everyone looking nervously at one another, clearly knowing something that Toffee didn't. Even The Butchered Wolf's owner, an old surly Mewian known as Tor was sweating bullets every time he gave the man-lizard his drinks.

The other dead give away was the group of four men who were wearing black cloaks over there shoulders who a seat at a table that was close to the barstool Toffee was currently sitting at. The four men had entered the tavern about a half hour ago and even though they were served earlier, they hardly took a sip of their beverages. The four men had bronze skin and were dressed in brown and white robes and had on black turbans upon their heads. The strangers were all as tall as the man-lizard was and were as equally as well built as he was as well. If someone from Earth saw them they would say these men came from the middle-east, but if Toffee was correct about these newcomers, than these were no men from Earth, for their bright silver eyes showed that they were unlike any human.

Ten minutes later, another sent of dark robed men entered the tavern and sat another table from across were the others had sat down. At no point did Toffee consider getting up and leaving the tavern—not that they'd let him. The lawyer already knew who had sent them to kill him, but rather than feel anger about this, he felt a strange sense of flattery inside him, like he was somehow happy that those he hated the most had hired assassins to slay him. As the now eight men kept their eyes on him, Toffee continued to enjoy his drink, patiently waiting for his would-be killers to make their move.

"Hey Toffee, I'm gonna take a smoke break out back" Tor mentioned, hesitation laced in every word as he said it "You need anything before I step outside?"

This was it. The man lizard had to keep his calm and continue to play along for just a bit longer. It wasn't out of fear, but out of anticipation for what was to come next.

"No, I'm good" he plainly answered "enjoy your smoke"

Tor gave him a quick nod before making his way toward a door in the back of the tavern. However, just as the old man set one foot out the doorway, the lawyer spoke up.

"You better hope they kill me, Tor" he causally warned him before taking a sip of his ale "because there won't be any place in the galaxy where I won't find you"

The bar owner yelped in fright knowing that he had been found out and quickly scrambled out the door. It was much longer that everyone aside from the eight assassins stood up and slowly and quietly exited from the tavern. Toffee remained on his barstool and kept his focus on his drink, hardly caring of the threat to his life. As soon as the last of the patrons left the tavern, the eight strangers stood up and slowly approached their target who still seemed to be blissfully ignorant to their existence.

"So, how much did the king and queen pay you for my head?" he asked in almost curious tone

"Beyond what most would pay for a man's life" on of the assassins answered in Arabic accent "Your one of highest paid targets in our orders history"

"To be called that by the Kali'bara is truly an honor" the man-lizard said before turning around in his seat to face them "I'm almost flattered the royal family would spend so much on me"

Toffee had heard stories of the Kali'bara, none of which were good. They were a secret order of specially trained assassins from a desert planet who sold their services to anyone in the galaxy who had deep pockets. They were trained from the age of three to become warriors with no other drive other then to kill their opponents with deadly efficiently and were harshly taught loyalty to their order and to their employer—at least until their job was done. The rulers of Mewni were either enraged for what Toffee did to the wand and the attempt on their daughter's life or were afraid of what he may do next if they were to hire these masters of death.

"You seem at ease with your imminent demise" the assassin commented

"Oh, I've accepted that what I've done will eventually get me killed. In fact I welcome that day when it finally comes" the lawyer replied before downing what was left of his ale "But it won't be tonight"

"I could kill you with ease, creature" the Kali'bara member warned

A pang of anger spiked in the lawyer's mind. He loathed being called such things as creature or beast. They only reminded him of the very thing he tried to escape. But instead of giving into his rage, Toffee calmly subdued his fury and waited for the right to unleash it on his enemies.

"If that were true then you wouldn't have brought seven more men with you" Toffee rebottled with a hollow chuckle

"That's still more then enough to slay you!" the assassin hissed in disdain at the insult

"You should've brought more men with you" the lawyer commented "Than it would've at least been a fair fight"

The Kali'bara parted their cloaks open and revealed the scimitars that were strapped to their hips. Despite the show of their weapons, Toffee didn't even so much as finch. Instead, he finally stood up from the barstool as his eight opponents drew their blades. The lawyer then removed his jacket and tie and gently placed them on the bar table, not wanting to get blood to stain his new piece of clothing.

"Well then gentlemen…" he inquired as he rolled his sleeves "Shall we get started?"

The tension in the air was at its breaking point as the man-lizard readied himself the upcoming attack. His body went rigid as held his ground, only the twitching of his tail was the only movement he made, and even that was out of excitement; it had been so long since he had had a real challenge. In a flash, the eight assassins rush toward him with their swords at the ready, but in almost a blink of eye, Toffee leapt backward and onto the bat table behind, dodging the blades in the process. The lawyer the swiped his tail at his now empty glass, sending it flying right into the face of one of the Kali'Bara. The glass scattered in his face, permanently blinding him.

Toffee jumped down from the table and onto the assassin he blinded, landing on him with his foot on his neck, crushing it upon landing. The monster quickly snatched up the assassin's sword and instantly blocked two other members of the Kali'bara's blades with it. He shoved them back before using his tail to grab his barstool and smashing it in to the side of a third who attempted to attach him from behind, he then roundhouse kicked the man who tried to attack him from behind, sending him flying over the bar table and crashing into the wall of alcohol.

The pair that had lunged at him earlier charged forward again. With great ease, he parried and blocked their attacks until he saw an opening and wrapped his tail around one of the killer's ankles and pulling his footing out from under him. While the other Kali'bara was trying to stand back up, his companion was left to dual Toffee alone for a short time until another one of their order rush at him from the left side. The man-lizard drew back for a moment and ducked from the swing of his new opponent's sword. Staying low, Toffee slammed his shoulder into the man's stomach before using his momentum to flip the killer over his back as he rose back upward. The monster gave the assassin a quick across his face, knocking him out. Once he was out cold, the lawyer returned to his dual with original enemy.

The man he had tripped had gotten back to his feet and pulled back the sleeve of his robe, revealing a wrist-mounted crossbow that held a pair of small arrows. He took aim at the back of the seemingly unsuspecting Toffee as he continued to battle the other member of their order and fired. Unfortunately for him, his target had caught a glimpse of him aiming at him and already had a plan forming in his head on how to counter the attack. Just as the arrows were fired, Toffee parried his current enemy's sword once more before pulling him in front of him and letting the arrows strike the assassin in the chest instead of him.

The man-lizard two hold of his now second slain opponent's sword with his free hand before letting his body shield drop to the floor; now that he was armed with two blades, he was ready to go on the offensive. Toffee sprinted forward at the assassin who had fired the arrows at him. Once he was close enough, he slashed the man's belly open, letting his organs spill out his body. As his third adversary fell to the floor in a dying heap, Toffee's tail reached out and grabbed of his would-be killers sword, coiling around the weapon's hilt in a tight grip. The remaining members of the Kali'bara gazed upon their target with a look of dread in their eyes as they saw the monster now holding three blades in his grasp.

Just before he could launch his next attack, Toffee heard a shrill war-cry behind him. He looked over to see the man he kicked behind the bar had finally regained consciousness; as did the other assassin he had knocked out as well. The one behind the bar jump up the bar table before diving at the monster, only to be impaled by the scimitar Toffee he held in his tail before having his lifeless body hurled toward the other assassins, knocking two of their numbers. The other two members of the Kali'bara who were not trapped under their comrade's corpse charged at Toffee, who welcomed their attack with a small grin.

The man-lizard used his three swords in perfect synch with one another, as if his tail was merely just another hand. He kept perfect pace with the two Kali'bara members, who were growing more and more frustrated as the dual continued. Finally the two men that were pinned under the corpse had managed to pull him off and joined battle. Toffee remained calm and collected as the fight went out, never letting his emotions cloud the movements of his blade. Suddenly, one of the Kail'bara managed to take a well-placed swing and successfully sliced off his right hand at the wrist.

Toffee stumbled back as let out a crocodile-like hiss of pain at the loss of hand. Though he could grow lost limbs, that didn't make it any less painful to lose them; or grow them back for that matter. It was in that moment that the lawyer knew that if he was going to finish this fight quickly that he'd have to succumb to his more monstrous nature. His irises narrowed into a more reptilian from as his pulse began race faster and his body was started to be fill with adrenaline. It was time to let the beast out.

The four men lunged at their prey with their blades ready to end the fight. But just as they thought they had victory in their grasp, the monster did the unexpected. He dropped his weapons and pounced at his enemies, letting out a furious roar as he did. He tackled one of the assassins and unsheathed the claws in his remaining hand and swiped them across the Kali'bara throat, spraying a small burst of blood all over his face his clothing. Once he was down, Toffee turned his primal fury on the next closest victim. Like before, he tripped up the killer with a swipe of his tail. He then kept him pinned down before he slammed his fist through the Kali'Bara's skull with all his strength, making the man's head split apart upon impact.

Thinking he had a perfect chance to kill his enemy, one of the last assassins's attempted to bring his scimitar down of Toffee's neck. But at the last second, Toffee served his to the right before reaching out with his tail and constricting it around his would-be killer throat. Toffee stood back up and looked the Kali'bara assassin in the eyes before open his jaws and biting down on his prey's head ripping it off in one swift motion as he dropped the headless body to the floor before crushing the man's like walnut in-between his jaws, spewing chucks of bone and brain matter all over the tavern walls in doing so.

Final member refused to die like his comrades and tried to impale himself on his own sword, but his actions where were interrupted when the man-lizard drew a dagger from the pocket of the headless corpse and flung it at pin-point accuracy, severing both of the Kali'bara's hands in one throw. The man screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, surrounded by the bodies of his fellow warriors.

Toffee heavily inhaled and exhaled as he began to come down from his animalistic self; slowly returning to his regular self within a few moments. He approached the no handless assassin with a stoic yet almost superior look in his eyes. Normally, one would be furious with a man who had attempted to kill him, but Toffee felt nothing for the killer. If he was going to be mad at anyone, it would the old fools who had hired him.

"I don't blame you, you know" the man-lizard said "You were just doing your job and I can respect that"

As he spoke, the lawyer's severed hand started to reform. He flexed his new fingers to get accustomed to his new hand until the time would come for him to regenerate this one too.

"But a word of advice" he continued calmly "never wound what you can't kill"

"There will be others who will finish what I started!" the Kali'bara snapped "You are dead, beast!"

"I very much doubt that" the monster brush off "from what I know of your order's creed; it is the law to allow any who survive an encounter with its members their freedom, for they have earned their right to live"

"How do you know our ways?" the assassin demanded

"I'm a lawyer. I read the rules" Toffee simply answered

With that, Toffee snatched up the killer by the shoulder and roughly sat him down on a nearby chair.

"Now I want you to send a message to your employers" he informed him

"What's the message?" the assassin weakly asked

Toffee reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.

"Listen closely" he told him darkly as he ignited it

* * *

The screams of the Kali'bara assassin were louder than the crackling of the wood as the flames continued to consume the tavern. After cleaning himself of the blood he was covered in, Toffee lit the whole tavern on fire, allowing the smell of smoke and charred flesh fly upon the winds. No doubt the king and queen would wonder why their hired killers hadn't return and would send a search party to the last place they were seen where they would find them piled together in a burnt heap.

The man-lizard knew that Tor was more then likely forced to betray him to the royal family out of fear of being thrown in prison for harboring criminals at his bar; so the lawyer made a note to kill him quickly and painlessly when he eventuality caught up with the old man. He knew that the king and queen wouldn't stop sending assassins and mercenaries after him until he was finally dead, but he welcomed the challenge, for it was a show of their fear of him, and he wasn't going to allow some hired killer to get in the way of his destiny.

After a few more minutes of taking in the fire he had started, he slung his jacket over his shoulder and causally walked away from the inferno. Now that he knew that the royal family knew of his existence, it was time to move onto phase two of plans and when he was he was done, Mewni would be shaken to its very core.

Some would call him a monster, others would call him hero. But titles never really mattered to him, all he cared about right was moving ahead with his plans.

For he was Toffee.

And he was just getting started.


End file.
